Amani Willett, Gail, from the series A Parallel Road, 2020. Digital inkjet print. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and Gallery Instructor 50th Anniversary Fund to support the Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection.
Amani Willett, Gail, from the series A Parallel Road, 2020. Digital inkjet print. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and Gallery Instructor 50th Anniversary Fund to support the Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection.
Photographing the American Road Trip
6:00 pm–7:00 pm
Now a quintessential American experience, the road trip became possible in the mid-20th century when the new interstate highway system connected previously patchwork roads. Seeking inspiration, photographers took to their cars and captured “the sublime and the banal” of an America only found on the road.
In this illustrated talk, learn how photographers captured American scenes, urban and rural, and explore photography’s evolution into a way of recording the human experience.
Presenters
David Campany, creative director, International Center of Photography and author of The Open Road (Aperture, 2014)
Karen Haas, Lane Senior Curator of Photographs, MFA
Amani Willett, photographer
This event is the perfect complement to violinist Augustin Hadelich and pianist Orion Weiss’s musical exploration of the road trip genre, presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Learn more about the concert, which takes place Sunday, February 1, 2026, at MIT’s Thomas Tull Concert Hall.
Assistive listening system
Wheelchair accessible
Ticket Information
To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975 ($6 processing fee applies); to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk.